


all around the dragon tree

by jeien



Category: Ookiku Furikabutte | Big Windup!
Genre: Christmas, Gen, Shenanigans
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-03
Updated: 2018-01-03
Packaged: 2019-02-27 20:24:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,018
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13255953
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jeien/pseuds/jeien
Summary: Or: "Never tell Tajima he can't do anything because he will try to find a way around it and then drag everyone into the mess." Another Team Nishiura holiday hangout fic for Oofuri Secret Santa.





	all around the dragon tree

**Author's Note:**

> This is for garretthawke@twitter/ osombu@tumblr! I was selected as a last-minute pinch hitter for Oofurixmas, and so I bring you more Nishiura shenanigans!!

“We told you we’re _not_ putting up a Christmas tree!”

“And that’s why I got us a Christmas _plant_ ,” Tajima says, hauling in a tall houseplant with thin leaves reminiscent of a horror movie monster’s fingers. Suyama, forced to help, looks ready to drop the pot onto their clean-up’s foot, consequences be damned. “I had my big brother pick it up on his way here since he’s visiting for the weekend. It’s called a dragon tree apparently and it’s, like, impossible to kill. What a way to bring in some good luck!”

Hanai just about sends Suyama a look that all but gives his full consent to _Yes, just drop the damn thing, I don’t care anymore_ —but he doesn’t and merely pinches the bridge of his nose. Again. For the umpteenth time this year. “Tajima, you… You just can’t bring a plant that big to someone else’s house. Are you even planning on taking that back home with you after?”

“Of course not! It’s my gift to Mihashi and his family!”

He doesn’t even deign to answer that. 

Oki comes through the door after them with some grocery bags, followed by Mrs. Mihashi, who is somehow intrigued and even excited over the supposed-dragon monstrosity Tajima’s dragged into her home. _What a nice gesture!_ they hear her say, thanking him for his thoughtfulness. She really is too nice for her own good.

“Comin’ through!” Oki calls as he beelines for the kitchen, where the rest of the team bustles around with baking ingredients and utensils. Sakaeguchi gets a glimpse of the grocery bags’ contents and gleams.

“Mrs. M’s making hot pot for later?” he asks, smile splitting wide. Oki nods with his own wide grin and helps put away the meats and vegetables into the fridge. The other boys perk up at the confirmation: hot pot is perfect for a chilly day like this and better for an even-chillier night.

It’s then that Tajima bursts through the kitchen entryway with a shout of _Izumi, Mizutani, I need you guys!_ before promptly dragging the two off into the living room, flour stains and plastic bags of icing and all. Izumi resigns himself to his fate as usual; Mizutani looks like a crappy left-fielding deer in front of headlights at night, not used to the extent of Tajima’s shenanigans. They toss their icing bags to Sakaeguchi and Abe, who catch them flawlessly, and hand them off to Nishihiro, who sets them aside and keeps working on icing their sugar cookies.

“Oh!” Mihashi says quietly to himself, opening the oven door. “I think this batch is done…!”

Abe crouches next to Mihashi with the mitts. “Move over. I’ll take them out—knowing you, you’ll burn your pitching hand trying to do it yourself.”

Mihashi nods with his bird-like smile and moves to the side, letting Abe pull out the tray of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies. (They didn’t necessarily have to be chocolate chip, but when Tajima first laid out their battle plan for the day, he had insisted on executing “all the Christmas staples.” No one knew where he had managed to get his information from, but trying to convince Tajima otherwise is like battling an immovable object with a wooden bat.)

“They smell really good,” Mihashi says, echoing his awed wonder from when they had first taken out the sugar cookies from the oven. Sakaeguchi and Nishihiro have to fight the urge to coo because how the hell can a high school boy be this adorably pure? _Must be the genes_ , they think to themselves. The entire damn Mihashi family is adorable, even Mr. Mihashi though they’ve only seen him a few times compared to his wife.

“Don’t eat them just yet,” Abe says. “They’re still too hot.”

“If Tajima heard that, he’d go…” Nishihiro scrunches his face into a hilarious likeness of their teammate and pitches his voice to match. “…Abe! Why do you think they say ‘freshly baked’ cookies then? Of course you gotta eat ‘em right after they come out!”

“Well I heard _that!_ ”

Lo and behold, once again, Tajima. This time with his hands on his hips and a fierce pout sporting on his face—from that pose alone, they know he’s not actually mad.

He breaks out into his usual smile point-five seconds later. “The cookies look awesome! But I need everyone to help decorate our awesome Christmas dragon plant!”

Sakaeguchi nearly chokes from confusion and laughter. “Wait, our _what?_ What the hell did you bring?!”

“Come and see!”

They’re forced to put everything down and head to the living room with Tajima in the lead. As soon as they cross the threshold, they see a five-foot plant decked out in gold tinsel and garlands, with small ornaments and paper slips with written wishes scattered throughout the leaves, and a star stands proudly lopsided at the very top. The group couldn’t help but wonder: _is this Christmas or Tanabata?_

“Looks like Hamada when we put makeup on him,” Abe comments.

Izumi snorts. “That’s what I said, too. Hideous.”

“Come on,” says Suyama, “don’t think we didn’t see you smile when you saw him like that.”

“Shut up!”

“Oi, Izumi, why did you put your wish down as ‘I wish that Mizutani actually starts being a decent player’?!”

“Oh, that’s actually a pretty good one.”

“Abe!!”

Mrs. Mihashi, who had managed to slip past the commotion to stand by her son, whispers, “Ren, you have such nice friends. The house is always so fun and lively when they’re here.”

Mihashi smiles. “Y-Yeah. I love them a lot.”

The chaos continues as they scramble to write down their multiple wishes to decorate this weird Christmas-Tanabata tree with. They even offer a slip to Mrs. Mihashi (and for Mr. Mihashi for when he comes home later) to fill out—the tree’s going to stay at their house, after all. There are wishes for Koshien, for happiness and good luck, for constant friendship, for good grades.

Hanai fills out his slip immediately and places it right under the lopsided star.

_‘Please let this team be normal, for once.’_

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry, Hanai, you guys will never be normal.


End file.
